This invention relates to a universal piano action of simple design comprising of a minimum number of parts for striking vertical and horizontal strings from below and above the horizontal strings.
Upright and grand pianos still have numerous parts, especially the grand piano with the complicated and costly rube goldberg arrangement to effect fast repetition of notes, and the upright piano still is without the repetition feature. The complicated arrangement in the grand piano causes friction leading to wear and tear and noise requiring frequent regulation and lubrication.
The upright and grand pianos have a soft pedal to soften the sound, the soft pedal in the upright piano is somewhat productive but in the grand piano the soft pedal degrades the grand piano tone by striking fewer strings to soften the sound.
The use of the soft pedal in the grand piano reveals the recognition of lack of sensitivity in the conventional grand piano arrangement. Except for the extremes of lightly touching a piano key and banging the piano key with great force together with the soft pedal to soften the sound expressions of intermediate degrees of loudness or softness have been substantially impossible.
The conventional grand piano action is complex and expensive to make requiring precision with special machinery, and yet it is plagued by friction, wear and tear and noise requiring frequent regulation and lubrication. The conventional grand piano action is still being emplaced under the tensioned strings as a more appropriate emplacement over the tensioned strings was unsuccessful.
The conventional upright and grand actions have a antiquated rube goldberg escapement arrangement for disengaging the jack before the piano hammer strikes the tensioned-string. This escapement arrangement in the complicated grand action causes excessive friction leading to wear and tear and noise requiring frequent adjustment and lubrication.
The piano action of the present invention is of a simple construction and arrangement comprising of a minimum number of parts the parts are identical to interchange in upright and grand pianos for striking vertical and horizontal strings from below or from above the horizontal strings, the-piano action of the present invention does not require an escapement let off mechanism to disengage the jack, the arrangement is direct without interconnecting parts, there is no double striking in this simple arrangement.
Basically this simple arrangement comprises of a pivotal member carrying a piano hammer, and a yielding jack, the yielding jack being flexible or substantially rigid supported by a spring and positioned on a rear portion of a piano key. The pivotal member carrying the piano hammer being in continual contact with the yielding jack. This simple piano action effects fast repetition of notes exactly as in the complicated grand piano action.
This simple piano action makes it possible for upright pianos to have this repetition feature. This simple arrangement of the present invention does not need the conventional soft pedal found in upright and grand pianos to degrade grand piano tone by striking fewer strings.
This simple piano action of the present invention, permits a complete dynamic range as in percussion instruments struck with a striker or mallet, this complete dynamic range is impossible to attain in the conventional grand piano action. This simple piano action permits a maximum striking force, with sensitive elastic control, it is like striking the tensioned strings directly with a striker or mallet evoking sounds from a whisper to thunder.
This simple arrangement effects a superior repetition action with movement of the piano key from one eight of an inch up from the bottom. U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,291 illustrates a jack having a flexible bottom.
A primary object is to provide the ultimate.
Another object is to provide a piano action for upright and grand pianos of a minimum number of identical parts for striking vertical strings and horizontal strings from below and above.
Another object is to provide a desirable grand piano downward striking action that can be clearly seen by the pianist.
Another object is to provide an upright piano having fast repetition of notes as in a grand piano.
Another object is to provide a grand piano without a soft pedal degrading tonal character by striking fewer strings.
Another object is to provide a piano action responding to every strenght of piano key touch.
Another object is to provide a grand piano action to be substantially regulation free.
Another object is to provide a piano action with a minimum number of simple parts that is easy to make at very low cost.
Another object is to provide a grand piano action not impeded by excessive friction.
Another object is to provide a grand piano action that will not become noisy.
Another object is to provide a piano that is easy to play pianissimo presto without missing notes.
Another object is to provide an upright piano having strings of grand piano lenght and fast repetition of notes for a small room.
Another object is to provide a piano with a superior action.
Another object is to eliminate the escapement mechanism in upright and grand pianos.